Alternately titled: Good People Make Good Things Happen.
Our fantastic board was incredibly active in their local communities in 2017, devoting more than a thousand combined hours to community service and our local trails, and we plan on being just as active and efficient with our time and energy in 2018. As 2017 comes to a close and we look into the new year, we want to take a moment to reflect on all that our board members accomplished this past year.
Our fantastic board was incredibly active in their local communities in 2017, devoting more than a thousand combined hours to community service and our local trails, and we plan on being just as active and efficient with our time and energy in 2018. As 2017 comes to a close and we look into the new year, we want to take a moment to reflect on all that our board members accomplished this past year.
ET Board Member Projects in 2017 & 2018
Building trail on Nat'l Trails Day. In addition to lots of local trail work and directing fundraising trail races, we (Matt & Kerri) made education a priority in 2017. In addition to taking a Wilderness First Responder recertification course, we got more involved with our local chapter of Idaho Master Naturalists, rededicated ourselves to reading naturalist books of all kinds, and spent six weeks this past fall on the road, learning more about how trails are created and maintained in different parts of the country to better reflect their unique ecosystems and natural histories. In 2018, we plan to continue learning how we can better benefit sustainable trail use in our local communities, both by developing curriculum and by building on and expanding trail work and outreach and advocacy Endless Trails is already doing.
Bri (wo)manning the crosscut. Bri Leahy put in 158 hours of dedicated trail work in 2017, including an 8-day trip in the Glacier Peak wilderness with a saw crew. She earned her B Crosscut Saw certification, learned extensively from the trail work leaders and fellow crew members, and had the privilege of working with the Backcountry Horsemen, who bring a unique cowboy perspective to trail work. While a trail work project she'd hoped to lead this past September was canceled on account of this past summer's wildfires, that project will be back in 2018—and she's already jumping at the opportunity to help get more trail runners out doing trail work in the backcountry.
Some of Ryan's pretty rock work. Ryan Lauck put in nearly 300 hours of trail work, including leading six trail work projects. Highlights included a bridge reconstruction project on the Mueller Park trail in Bountiful, Utah, which required hauling heavy gear three miles each day to the work site, and was one of the hardest projects he's worked on to date. While he's taking full advantage of ski season now, his spring, summer, and fall promise to be full of trail work projects again in the coming year.
Karen Presley (with her husband Greg) were just as active in their local community in 2017 as in years previous, including helping coordinate multiple roadside clean-up days in Northeast Washington, helping put on a Fourth of July pancake breakfast and parade, and organize multiple service days in which they take U.S. Veterans out on a nearby lake via their pontoon boat. Even more than the many other ways in which they make their local community better, it's this service with the Vets that they're most proud of—and they treasure the opportunities to learn from the Veterans' many and varied stories and experiences. They're looking forward to even more local service opportunities in 2018.
Chris rocking some epic & strangely sunny Carkeek loops. Chris Davidson didn't get a chance to get out on the trails much in 2017 (but did come out to support Cottontail & Carkeek!), in part because he was building a(n awesome, sustainable) tiny house. Doing so, however, gave him a renewed appreciation both of hard work (and of how important it is to learn from those with expertise while also pacing himself), and building community connections. He's not only involved in Seattle, but is also now developing connections in the community that surrounds his new homestead in Central Washington. He's hopeful that in 2018 he'll have more opportunities to get back on the trails, and toward that aim, hopes to do more regular trail work in the Seattle area, including helping with cleanup efforts on the popular Interurban Trail.
Ben Perri put in 60 hours of trail work in 2017, and is especially proud of how he was able to assist first responders in the wake of the Eagle Creek Fire this past summer. One of his goals for the new year is to get more involved with rehabilitation projects and trail work as the Columbia River Gorge and its many trails recover from devastating wildfire damage.
Jordan Maki-Richards didn't get a chance to do much trail work in 2017, but is slowly getting better integrated in the Australian trail running community, and has high hopes for more trail work in the coming year!
Say it loud, say it proud
We're grateful for our dynamic and outdoor-minded board and what they've been able to accomplish independently and collectively in 2017—and can't wait to dive in to more trail-minded goodness in 2018!
How about you? What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2017—and what are you most looking forward to in 2018?
How about you? What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2017—and what are you most looking forward to in 2018?
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